1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to an air conditioner for detecting freezing inside the air conditioner to protect an outdoor unit and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an air conditioner cools and heats indoor using a refrigerating cycle of a refrigerant formed with a compressor, a condenser, an expanding device, and an evaporator in order to provide more comfortable indoor environment to a user.
In an industrial air conditioner or a central air conditioner, a cooler formed with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator cools water and conditions indoor air of a large building such as a building, a factory, or a sports center using the cooled water.
In such an air conditioner, an outdoor unit is installed outdoors and an operation of the outdoor unit may be influenced by weather or an outdoor temperature. In particular, in a heat exchanger included in an outdoor unit, when the outdoor unit performs a cooling operation or a heating operation, freezing where water generated due to heat exchange is frozen on a surface of a heat exchanger occurs.
Freezing occurring on the surface of the heat exchanger deteriorates heat exchange efficiency which results in deterioration of an operation efficiency of the air conditioner. To solve the above problem, an outdoor unit performs a defrosting operation. When the defrosting operation is performed, cooling or heating operation into the indoor is impossible so that a user experiences inconvenience.